Robert Foose

I have developed a near addiction to this app. The game is fun in its physical form; however, it really takes off as a digital import. The AI is challenging but doesn’t appear to cheat. The only change I would like to see is a third level of AI.

I have never seen such blatant truth in a game title. WDPTAL is a VERY light filler game that offers a ton of laughs. There is a tiny (very tiny) bit of strategy but mostly the game is about seizing the opportunities to make other players loose. (The goal of the game in not to loose rather than to win.) I find that WDPTAL scratches the same itch as Fluxx but is less likely to last too long.

Storm of Souls is a great addition to the Ascension family. This time, in addition to a ton of new heroes, constructs & monster, we are treated to a new “Always Available” card and a new mechanism. The EVENT cards put a spin on the whole game that can be utilized through the new Fanatic card. (Think of the Fanatic as the Cultists cousin.) Currently there is one Event for each faction meaning they do not come up every game, especially if you are using all the sets together. Several of the new creatures are “Trophy Monsters” that give the player that defeats them a one time use ability.
I have not shuffled everything together as of yet. I find each set plays great on its own. Storm of Souls is a solid hit for me.

I broke out my copy of Infinite City recently for the first time in over a year. I had played it at GenCon 2010 but had not gotten it to the table since. I was teaching it to a pair of moderately experienced gamers at a local event. I had forgotten how much fun this was. The fairly simple mechanism of tile placement gets completely skewed my the variable powers that come in to play with each move. The abilities of the tile just played can redistribute the field of play in unexpected ways. A careful study of the options for placement and the use of the power is called for if you don’t want to find yourself in a very poor position. (This is what happened to me.) The ease of the rules explanation make this a good introductory game with just enough complexity to keep experienced gamers coming back for another go.

After getting a copy from BGX to try out I was happy with this one. The set up time was around 30 minutes but what great components to work with! The play took around 2 hours allowing time to refer to the rules on several occasions. We played the first story of the five included and were impressed how it taught us the rules and still presented a challenge. An index to the rules would have been helpful. I would recomend this game to anyone looking for a horror themed game with a chance of the good guys winning.

On The Brink adds everything the base games needs to take it to the next level. The additional roles kicks replay value through the roof. Now there is even a player conflict option with the Bio-terrorist. The new pawns are better sized for the board and the petri dish storage is great.

I have only played this game a couple of times and wanted to love it. It just didn’t get me excited however. I find the card art to be a bit muddy looking though the puns in the flavor text are amusing. The game-play seems to be just the old card game of “War” with a beefed up deck. (No pun intended). A couple of the other players really got into the theme of the game; however, it left me wanting more.

Martian Dice may look like a rethemed Zombie Dice; however, it offers more strategy for the players. Granted, not very deep strategy but the choices made do have consequences. Rather than a simple “push your luck before you loose everything” approach, the player must decide which Earthling to capture while guarding against the military forces out to blow them from the sky. Each type of native can be captured only once so select carefully!

Dragonspire was my first experience with Thunderstone. I was hooked at once. The dungeon feature cards really take the game to a new place for me. It gives the feel of an RPG adventure that has more than just monster bashing. The idea that the box was designed as a retrofit storage solution impressed me as well.

Some folks have claimed that Tales may not actually be a Game. They site the lack of meaningful choices and the railroading that can occur. I might be persuaded by this point of view if I didn’t enjoy the experience so much. I find the twists and turns each character’s story takes to be entertaining and engaging. Count me among those who look forward to my next excursion in search of the City of Brass!

I love this game! The almost infinite variation in occupations & minor improvements for each game give huge replay potential

I first encountered Pandemic at Gen Con a few years ago. I had never played a serious co-op game before. This is the one that got me started with my love of the style. The gameplay is simple but winning is hard. There is enough hope of victory to keep you from giving up while enough challenge to keep you playing. The variable difficulty setting scale the game well for player experience.

Ascension scratches the Deck Builder itch with a simpler game play than Dominion. Since all players are working from a common center deck, the game offer a strategic element without having to learn ever card in the game.